Working space: why incorporating the geographical is central to theorizing work and employment practices
Herod, Andrew ; Rainnie, Al ; McGrath-Champ, Susan
2007
21
2
June
247-267
capitalism ; geographical aspect ; globalization ; labour relations ; work ; work environment
Labour economics
English
Bibliogr.
'Theorists of work and employment (W&E) practices should more seriously engage with literatures concerning how space is constitutive of social praxis. Rather than simply serving as a stage upon which social life is played out or being merely a reflection of social relations, the construction of the economic landscape in particular ways is fundamental to how social systems function. Struggles over space are a central dynamic in W&E practices as different actors engage with the economic landscape to ensure their 'geographical vision' is emplaced in that landscape. Furthermore, conflicts over W&E practices frequently revolve around the spatial (re)scaling of such practices (as when collective bargaining is 'decentralized'). Consequently, an important key to better theorizing W&E practices is understanding how the various spatial scales at which these operate are socially constructed and discursively represented.'
Paper
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